Company: Crazy John's Pty Ltd
Interview with: Wayne Leng - CFO and Head of Strategy
Service: 457 Company Sponsorship, Nomination and Visas.

LIVE IN australia.com (LIA): Thank you very much for joining us Wayne. If we could start please with you explaining a little bit about your position in the company and what your company’s about.
Wayne Leng (WL): Sure. I work for Crazy John’s and I’m the Strategic Head of Crazy John’s. Prior to this when we first engaged LIVE IN australia we were part of another company called Purtona which was subsequently acquired by Crazy John’s and we were responsible for helping Crazy John’s build their systems and networks. In the background.

LIA: So at what stage did you decide to employ someone from overseas?
WL: I think at first it was very straightforward. We had a skills shortage. It was in specific technical areas and engineering areas that we couldn’t find the right resources in Australia and it was a no-brainer decision for us. We needed to look into the international market which a lot of telecommunication companies overseas have used similar systems and networks. It was much easier for us to find those resources overseas. So it was when we realised that the resources were not available in Australia that we decided to look elsewhere.

LIA: When you made that decision to look overseas did you know what was required?

WL: Actually no. This is where LIVE IN australia really came into it. We really had no idea even where to start. Purtona being a company that was started from the ground up, you know immigration certainly wasn’t our expertise. So we were looking to engage a partner in that sense to help us with that and LIVE IN australia was it.

LIA: How did you find out about LIVE IN australia.com and our services?

WL: I actually know Assyl personally but I’ve actually heard about this company through another friend of mine as well who engaged LIVE IN australia to organise sponsorship of overseas resources for them.

LIA: And being an online company, what was it about us that you thought you could trust?

WL: I think being an online company for a corporate customer like my self, having a presence like this office certainly does help because you you never know with online companies whether they’re a backyard company or a garage based company. For anyone who’s in any doubt at all if they just come here and just have a look around I’m sure they would be able to trust the company.

LIA: I now that Michael the associate migration advisor that helped you with your candidate loved working with your company, yourself and your candidate. In fact, on several occassions as I was leaving the office saying to Michael, "Go home, it’s six thirty!" and he’d say, "No, no, no, I’ve just got to finish off this one; just one more."

WL: I think that makes a difference as well, the fact that Michael was very passionate about his job and helping us. We got the first couple of candidates here in record time, a very short time. I think the first couple of applicants from memory; from the word go until they stamped the passport of the applicant it was only six weeks. It was fantastic and I have to thank Michael for it.

LIA: And do you think the candidate felt assured also and knew every step of the way what was going on with the application and how he got his foot into the door with your company?

WL: I think the answer’s yes and that’s another part of LIVE IN australia service which was very good from the perspective that not only was I kept informed at all times, Michael made sure that our candidates were across what was happening; you know constant emails and phone calls etc etc and at various times when the candidate had a question LIVE IN australia was always there to help.

LIA: So would you recommend LIVE IN australia.com to other corporate businesses who are struggling with skill shortages at the moment?

WL: Absolutely, I think you guys are providing a service here that most corporates out there know nothing about; even corporates with HR departments, sponsorship is not an area they would specialise in. And you guys do it very well so congratulations on that.

LIA: Thank you. Just a last question as well: companies can feel a little bit scared because they fell like they’re taking a big risk bringing someone from overseas who they can’t necessarily see and interview face to face like this. How did you overcome all of that when making your decision?

WL: Okay, I think during your vetting process of the personnel, I think it’s very important you go through the proper procedure, even though you may not see them face to face, make sure you go through the proper interview process and make sure you do the proper reference checks. For us, it was simple because the candidates we hired were from big global companies … from Nokia Siemens networks … from Logica CMG you know all these various big international companies. But for other companies who are out there looking for staff, who may not be part of these large international organisations, I think it’s important they go through the proper vetting process just to make sure they’re comfortable themselves.

Company: Cowara Transport – Western Australia

Interview with: Ron Gower – Human Resources Manager

Service: 457 Company Sponsorship, Nomination and Visa (May 2007)

LIVE IN australia.com (LIA): Please give a brief profile of Cowara and their core operations?

Ron Gower (RG): Cowara was established in 1988 and we currently have 49 staff. Our core operation is transport and distribution. We cart general freight including palletised and bulk wine. We also store palletised wine in our warehouses. Please refer to our site www.cowara.com.au

LIA: Was Paul an employee before you decided to sponsor him on a 457 visa?

RG: Paul had not worked for us before we decided to sponsor him.

LIA: Why did you decide to sponsor Paul?

RG: Our decision to employ Paul was based on his qualifications & experience gained in a similar industry in the UK. Once we had verified his resume we commenced the sponsorship process.

LIA: Did you know much about the visa process?

RG: No. We had not been involved in the visa process before.

LIA: Why did you decide to get help with the visa and sponsorship process?

RG: Same as above.

LIA: How did you find out about LIVE IN australia.com?

RG: Paul advised us that he had contracted LIA to handle his application.

LIA: What was your experience with LIVE IN australia.com like?

RG: If I had to give it a mark out of 10 it would be 7. There was some initial confusion, but the majority of the process ran smoothly.

LIA: Would you recommend LIA to other companies?

RG: Yes

LIA: What was Paul’s reaction like after his visa was granted?

RG: Paul had already arrived in Australia on holidays when his application was approved. I believe that Paul and his wife were extremely relieved once they heard of their approval.

Paul Roberts and Ron Gower of Cowara Transport

Company: Fujifilm Sericol Australia Pty Ltd

Interview with: Michelle Dawson - Sales and Service Manager
Service: 457 Company Sponsorship, Nomination and Visa

LIVE IN australia.com^®: Briefly describe what Fujifilm Sericol Australia does?
Michelle Dawson: We are a manufacturer of Inks and Ink Consumables to the Screen, Digital and Flexographic printing industries. Also machinery sales to these industries.
 
LIA: Why did you decide to employ someone on a 457 Visa?
MD: Finding the right person in an emerging technology is a difficult task.  Usually, Europe and Asia are at the forefront of technological advancement in new products to our industry and after exhausting many avenues locally, our requirements sent us overseas.
 
LIA: Did you know much about the immigration process and your options?
MD: LIVE IN australia.com^® handled anything we required and answered any questions I had (no matter how silly I thought the questions may have been).

LIA: Was this the first time your company had sponsored anyone?
MD: No, we have sponsored 3 people other the last 10 years.
 
LIA: What process did you go through to find someone to help you?
MD: I found it quite easy as I had heard of LIVE IN australia.com^® and as such, it was quite easy to get some help.  I have heard it can be quite difficult and in the past, our organisation had used other means to organise overseas employees.  
 
LIA: Why did you end up choosing LIVE IN australia.com^®?
MD: Ease of use, prompt responses, simple processes, excellent service and knowledge.  I found your company in MyBusiness Magazine after it had won the national award for Best Technology 2005, at the time I was looking for assistance.
 
LIA: What aspects of the LIVE IN australia.com^® service made it easy?
MD: Apart from the points above, the fact that we had a tight timeframe to work within and LIVE IN australia.com^® was able to work within our requirements.
 
LIA: What were the top 3 aspects of the service that you really loved?
MD: 1. Our Advisor was fantastic!
MD: 2. Your ease of operation - great processes makes it easier as a customer
MD: 3. Knowledge of what you do - being able to leave it to the experts
 
LIA: How can we improve?
MD: Good Question but something I have limited suggestion for!  Your organisation is already very streamlined with many advantages over the competition.  

LIA: How did the Candidate react after he received his visa?
MD: He was pleased with the whole process. Overall, his feedback on LIVE IN australia.com^® was very positive.  He hopes to be able to move out here as soon as possible.
 
LIA: Would you recommend LIVE IN australia.com^® to help other companies with their migration needs?
MD: Absolutely.  With out a doubt.  Working in a service orientated organisation, I demand the best and am critical of other service providers.

Event: Red Bull Music Academy - Melbourne
Contact: Tom Sigelski - Cultural Marketing Manager

Service: Provision of visa advice for visiting lecturers and attendees

I’m happy to report that the first ever Red Bull Music Academy held in Melbourne Australia was a huge success!

As you know, we had about 120 people fly in from overseas to attend the Academy, held in September and October 2006, including lecturers, participants and media from countries such as Russia, Pakistan, Chile, Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Africa and Jamaica to name a few.

It was really important that all guests secured the correct visas in time, so we didn’t want to take any chances and decided to get some help. We needed to engage a professional company with a good reputation and did not have any hesitation in getting assistance from LIVE IN australia.com. As we had people flying in from all over the world, it was critical that we provided them with clear and accurate advice on how to secure the correct visa, especially in the areas of ETA and Non-ETA countries, where it can get confusing.

It was really reassuring to know that we had such a professional firm assisting us, worked fast and provided excellent value. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending LIVE IN australia.com for the provision of immigration advice.

Thanks again from Red Bull!